OSTRICH RACING.

Press, Volume LXII, Issue 18673, 23 April 1926, Page 12

OSTRICH RACING.

ADELAIDE EXPERIMENT. FARCICAL CONTEST. (»R0« OVB OWX CORRESrOJIDEXT.) SYDNEY. April 0. An attempt was made in Adelaide. South Australia, last Saturday to introduce ostrich racing as a new Australian sport. This branch of tho human weakness of pitting animals against each other in a speed contest has never before been witnessed in this country, although it is stated to be common in South Africa, California, and one or two other European countries. The event was organised by tho Adelaide Trotting Club which sandwiched the novelty between items of its horsetrotting contests. Tho club tried to persuade the South Australian Agricultural Society to allow it to use the society's commodious ground, but believing the race between the birds to be against the interests to which men have applied the large birds, the society refused permission to use its ground. Undeterred, the club decided to stage the event on its own course. Heralded by a flood of publicity, the ostrich race attracted attention throughout Australia, and there was great play on the ostriches' physical attributes in some of tho newspaper headlines, of which a typical one was "Won by a neck." A sample of the publicity was this: "The birds are broken into saddle and harness in tho same way as young horses. While the eyes are covered, the birds will not attempt to move and will stand until the covering is removed. Even when stampeding in a flock, ostriches do not follow one another, but spread out abreast as if for a race. Their strength is enormous in a .linker or small cart, and one bird will pull two adults at about 20 miles an hour. With a 6tnall boy on its hack, this speed can be greatly increased." Stage Fright. No fewer than 15,000 people attended the trotting club's ground, mainly to witness the ostrich contest. Tho club had had a batch in training for several months,, but _ unfortunately it had neglected to give them practice before crowds. The result was that the five birds which were lined up for the race were stricken with stage fright. As soon as the coverings were removed from their eyes, one bolted in the wrong direction, drawing forth cries of "Manfred 1" from the crowd in memory of what that fine racehorse sometimes does at the barrier. Three of tho birds were harnessed to jinkers, and the other two were ridden by 6mall hoys. The four which actually left the mark did not travel far. They either fell or sat down, those which chose the latter course refusing to budge an inch. One looked like a euro winner, but suddenly it sat down, and all the persuasion of its drivers could not make it continue. The one that had raced the wrong way was eventually guided in the right direction, but when it seemed to be fairly well on its way to the winning post, it, too, sat down. Finally the drivers of all the birds gave up in disgust, and the birds were led back to their "stables." Meanwhile, the judgo yawned and dozed. Ho felt superfluous. _The trotting club believes that the birds will do bettor at their next attempt, and it intends to repeat the contest to-morrow • night. The birds will then be all ridden. But it is safe to say that 15,000 people will not attend to watch the event.